I'm bringing my 8mm-06 A.I. back to life W/a 26" barrel turned from a 98/29 take off. W/Norma MRP & compressed loads I should be able to get 2900-2950fps W/O pushing it too far beyond 60K.

The action is a 1943 vintage J.P. Saeur & Sone so the action is up to the pressure.

Will the Speer Hotcore be up to the task if a close in shot results in a bullet strike on heavy bone?

Not into Nosler Partitions as they sacrifice mushroom for penetration. I am getting great results form the 200gr Hotcore in my 8X57 @ 2730fps Mv. Would another 200+ fps be pushing the envelope?

The 200g Hot-Cor spitzer was designed for 8mm Remington Mag, so yes, it can handle all the velocity the 8mm-06AI can deliver. The Speer manual says it was built with a tough jacket to handle magnum velocity.

The velocity you're getting with your 8x57 and the 200g seems quite high. I'd be interested in what kind of load pushes the bullet that fast. I have a 8mm-06 and have had good luck with the 200g Hotcore, but I'm keeping my velocity to 2600fps.

What are you going to hunt? If deer, I can't imagine any 200 grain bullet staying in a deer unless it's a hard angle. I'm sure it will penetrate plenty. I've found the Hot Cors pretty darn accurate with several different calibers but I have't taken them hunting yet. You could always email Speer if you are concerned.

quote:

Originally posted by duckboat:
The 200g Hot-Cor spitzer was designed for 8mm Remington Mag, so yes, it can handle all the velocity the 8mm-06AI can deliver. The Speer manual says it was built with a tough jacket to handle magnum velocity.

The velocity you're getting with your 8x57 and the 200g seems quite high. I'd be interested in what kind of load pushes the bullet that fast. I have a 8mm-06 and have had good luck with the 200g Hotcore, but I'm keeping my velocity to 2600fps.

I found that either Vv-N550 or RL-17 would attain about 100 fps more Mv than the old standby powders. Both are high density, high energy powders that work very well in medium capacity cases W/medium weight bullets.

I load the 8X57 to 60K. I am using cases formed from once fired Lake City GI 30-06 brass. The action is a commercial Yugoslavian intermediate length LR 98 VZ-500 action circa 1960 so there is no reason to load to less than adult pressure levels.

Below is the very 1st 3-shot group shot W/the rifle. I now use RL-17 & Speer Hotcores W/similar accuracy & Mv.



I use RL-17 in 7mm-08 & 30/40 Krag too. W/the Krag it shoots Hornady 160gr FTXs @ 2500 fps W/very mild pressure well below SAMMI spec.

quote:

Originally posted by scottfromdallas:
What are you going to hunt? If deer, I can't imagine any 200 grain bullet staying in a deer unless it's a hard angle. I'm sure it will penetrate plenty. I've found the Hot Cors pretty darn accurate with several different calibers but I have't taken them hunting yet. You could always email Speer if you are concerned.

Well to be quite honest I am hoping to get acceptable (<1" @ 100yds) accuracy W/Nosler 180gr BTs for deer. In the past, I have had much better accuracy W/200gr .323 bullets in military barrels. I have lengthened the magazine to 3.405" and will load the long pointy BT out far enough (3.38" COAL) to be just off the lands in a throat that will still be long enough to do likewise W/200gr Hotcores @ 3.29" COAL.

If the 180s won't cut the mustard accuracy wise, I will press the 200gr HCs into service on deer. The main objective of the 200gr HC in the 8mm-06 A.I. is for a 400yd capable Elk rifle. Sighted in + or - 4" maximum PBR it will still hit vitals of an elk @ 400yds while still holding on hair.

The 180gr BT @ 3050 fps will be a + or - 3" cartridge out to 300yds. I used the 180gr BT in my 1st rendition of the 8mm-06 A.I. back in 2000-2001 but W/the powders I used 2950 was pushing the envelope. Even then, the 180gr BT would blow chunks of lungs onto the ground the size of billiard balls W/broadside chest hits. W/another 2 1/2" of barrel & Norma MRP I can get another 100 fps @ moderate chamber pressure. The 200gr HC will push pressure a little beyond 60K @ 2950, but not alarmingly.

I used Norma MRP W/outstanding results in my 280 W/140gr Interbonds, but it was hard to get in the past so I went to RL-22 & sacrificed 100 fps Mv.

Midway now carried MRP & I just ordered 5# of RL-17 & 2# of MRP. Spreading $30 hazmat/shipping over 7# made the price better than buying local & paying sales tax. (if I could even get the MRP that is)

I took a nice buck W/the 8X57 & 200gr Hotcores in 2014.


That's him on the right. I had him done in an aggressive pose to mimic his body language when I shot him.


I had the taxidermist ruffle the hair on his neck to try to duplicate the way his neck was when he met his demise.

That deer is a bruiser for sure. It's funny you mentioned 180 Ballistic Tips. I used them for free range Axis and Black Buck last June. It was a 338 Federal going 2700 fps. They made nice holes all the way through. I'm taking that same load mule deer hunting this fall. I'm a big fan of ballistic tips.

quote:

Originally posted by scottfromdallas:
That deer is a bruiser for sure. It's funny you mentioned 180 Ballistic Tips. I used them for free range Axis and Black Buck last June. It was a 338 Federal going 2700 fps. They made nice holes all the way through. I'm taking that same load mule deer hunting this fall. I'm a big fan of ballistic tips.

I wish Nosler made a 200gr .323 Ballistic Tip!

I tried the 140gr Accubonds in my .280. They do the same thing as the Partition blow off the nose leaving a massive entry wound & then over penetrate W/a samll exit wound.

The military Mauser barrels seem to like 200gr bullets. I'm going to try loading the 180s right up against the lands. I'm sending Dennis Olsen a dummy round W/the 180gr BT @ 3.387" COAL. I want him to do the throat so the dummy round is touching the lands. Then I'll turn my seating die down so it's just off the lands.

The only deer I ever had run after being hit W/the 180gr .323 BT was hit straight on & it ran about 40 yds. The 2 I hit broadside & quartering away either flopped around W/O getting back on their feet or dropped on the spot respectively. Both times I found bright pink chunks or lungs on the ground.

quote:

Originally posted by duckboat:


The velocity you're getting with your 8x57 and the 200g seems quite high. I'd be interested in what kind of load pushes the bullet that fast. I have a 8mm-06 and have had good luck with the 200g Hotcore, but I'm keeping my velocity to 2600fps.

When I was working up loads for the 8mm-06 A.I. back in 2000, all I could get W/IMR 4350 was 2600ish fps Mv in a 23 1/2" barrel.

I did some standard 8mm-06 predictions W/Quickload & RL-17 should get you in the 2800fps range @ well under 60K chamber pressure. That was W/a slightly compressed load @ COAL of 3.175 & a 23 1/2" barrel.

So far I've tried IMR4064, IMR 4350, and RL-19. Maybe I'll give RL-17 a try. Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by wildcat junkie:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by wildcat junkie:
I did some standard 8mm-06 predictions W/Quickload & RL-17 should get you in the 2800fps range @ well under 60K chamber pressure. That was W/a slightly compressed load @ COAL of 3.175 & a 23 1/2" barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by duckboat:
So far I've tried IMR4064, IMR 4350, and RL-19. Maybe I'll give RL-17 a try. Thanks

I did a table W/the same COAL & barrel length parameters above. 58000K pressure ceiling, 107% maximum load density. Some of the common powders, fastest predicted Mv to slowest.

RL-17........2782fps........58000psi........101.7% load density

Vv N550......2726fps........58000psi........102.9% load density

IMR 4895.....2694fps........58000psi.........96.1% load density

IMR 4320.....2668fps........58000psi.........97.9% load density

IMR 4350.....2661fps........58000psi........105.6% load density

IMR 4064.....2638fps........58000psi........102.4% load density

Norma MRP....2662fps........46925psi........107.0% load density

RL-19........2619fps........51290psi........107.0% load density

If you have a chronograph, I would start W/about 51gr of RL-17 & work up to 2800fps watching closely for pressure signs. 51gr should get you to about 2570fps @ 48000psi & just over 90% load density.

What is your COAL? if it differs much from the 3.175" that I used, it will skew the results.

I use a longer OAL of 3.300". Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by duckboat:
I use a longer OAL of 3.300". Thanks

Then load densities will roll back about 2% & MV will fall back about 50fps

90% load density would be 53gr.

RL-17 seems to lag about 2gr below predicted Mv & pressure. In other words, actual Mv is less than predicted. Vv N550 however is the opposite.

The 8mm/06 is and outstanding caliber, much overlooked today..Right after WW2 lots of 8x57 were floating around at a cheap price, so I jumped on that wagon and like many others had it rechambered to a 8mm/06...It easily duplicate the 30-06 and due to a larger bore it gave a little more velocity at the expense of SD..but the differences were minimal at best..

I always preferred the 175 gr. bullet at up to 2800 FPS depending on barrel length and what have you, but my hunting loads were 2700 plus a tad...The 200 gr. Speer was the most available bullet soon thereafter and I used is at 2600 FPS with most suggested book powders, and I could squeeze 2700 FPS and some got a bit more, but they were the real "velocity squeezers", Keep in mind that the most expert of handloaders I have known were the worst offenders of the "squeezes", I must include myself in that catagory inasmuch as it upsets Jeffe to varying degrees.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
The 8mm/06 is and outstanding caliber, much overlooked today..Right after WW2 lots of 8x57 were floating around at a cheap price, so I jumped on that wagon and like many others had it rechambered to a 8mm/06...It easily duplicate the 30-06 and due to a larger bore it gave a little more velocity at the expense of SD..but the differences were minimal at best..

I always preferred the 175 gr. bullet at up to 2800 FPS depending on barrel length and what have you, but my hunting loads were 2700 plus a tad...The 200 gr. Speer was the most available bullet soon thereafter and I used is at 2600 FPS with most suggested book powders, and I could squeeze 2700 FPS and some got a bit more, but they were the real "velocity squeezers", Keep in mind that the most expert of handloaders I have known were the worst offenders of the "squeezes", I must include myself in that catagory inasmuch as it upsets Jeffe to varying degrees.

Before I started using Quickload I was stuck on the old standby powders that wouldn't get much past 2600 W/a 200gr bullet in a 23 1/2" barrel. After discovering Vv-N550, Vv-N560, RL-17 & Norma MRP (which can now be gotten from Midway) my 8X57IS & 8mm-06 Ackley loads got a 100fps boost at the same pressure. The extra 2 1/2" of barrel on the later really makes Norma MRP haul the mail.

Im not surprised that the new powders gave more life to such a well balanced caliber..I still think the 8mm-06 IMP, just may be the best of the bunch including the 338/06 IMP...The new generation missed the boat on that for the most part..

A bullet I used a couple of years ago on deer and elk was the GS Customs 160 gr. HVHP ( I think it was 160 gr.) and it was deadly in the 8x57, I can't imagine what it would do in the 8mm/06 or its improved version..

With 220 grain bullets in my wildcat 8mmX.404x2.5" IMP ( long neck) witch is close in capacity to 8mm-06 imp., The most I could get was 2650 fps before bolt slightly sticking.
I've also played with 8mm06s a good bit but not at the fps that you guys are talking about. Never saw the need I guess. roger

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
With 220 grain bullets in my wildcat 8mmX.404x2.5" IMP ( long neck) witch is close in capacity to 8mm-06 imp., The most I could get was 2650 fps before bolt slightly sticking.
I've also played with 8mm06s a good bit but not at the fps that you guys are talking about. Never saw the need I guess. roger

Did you try Norma MRP? Your results are about on a par What I was getting W/the old standby IMR powders.

never had any MRP roger

Bartsche,
"you never saw the need" a real truism, there is no meed to push them to the max..Sometimes I do that only because I need to know where the true max is on my guns, then I shoot the same loads you do when I go hunt..I think your the first one that I have confessed that to..Jeez I hope Jeffe doesn't read this post!